Advert For Love
by iLoVeCaRDcApToRsAkuRa
Summary: Syaoran's love of women is forever getting him into trouble. This time it has meant creating a fake company just to impress the sensual Meiling. That is until his advert finds its way into the hands of the sophisticated, smart and unknowingly sexy Sakura. Will Syaoran keep up the pretence, or for once will he commit to the truth? Is he prepared to produce...an Advert For Love?
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! I know, back with a new story whilst there are still ongoing ones to be finished. What am I like? :P

Still, I wanted to get Chapter 1 of this idea up to see what people would think. I'm still toying with the name, but the plot is all ready to rock.

Please please let me know what you guys think!

 _And as per usual if you're not reading this on you're reading my stolen story. Please report the site. It really helps us out! Thanks x_

* * *

Chapter 1 – Lies Upon Lies

"You said _what?_ " an exasperated, confused and all-round irritated Eriol asked his best friend.

Syaoran rolled his eyes, annoyed that his enthusiasm had not been matched. "I told her I own a multi-million dollar marketing agency" he repeated. "She was so impressed Eriol. I could see it in her eyes. She even gave me her number and we're seeing each other next week!"

Choosing not to slap him senseless, Eriol instead slumped down into the nearest chair. They were sat in a hotel bar, having attended a business conference being held there. Eriol had been the networker of the two, talking to a range of potential clients for the Hiiragizawa Law Firm he had worked hard to build. Syaoran had gladly taken on the position of head accountant within the firm, a job he absolutely loathed but one which his mother had practically forced upon him. Both Eriol and Syaoran knew his skills were wasted as an accountant, but the truth was Syaoran was simply too lazy to pursue anything else. He had a comfortable life and was content.

"What is she going to say when she finds out that you were lying?" Eriol said after rubbing his temples gently.

Syaoran laughed as he sat down next to him. "That's the best part! She doesn't need to find out. I've got my foot in the door now. Once she's been on a date with me, _been in bed with me_ , she won't care what I do for a living"

Eriol rubbed his temples even harder. The girl Syaoran was so eagerly chasing was a Miss Meiling, some high and mighty entrepreneur who had also been attending the conference. "Still, did it have to be such a huge lie? Many girls would be impressed by an accountant you know?" Eriol sighed, looking at his friend warily.

"She wouldn't be. These high class ladies need men who are serious Eriol. And accountant at someone else's law firm just wouldn't cut it" he replied, idly fiddling with his chocolate locks.

Eriol laughed to himself, his best friend showing signs that deep down inside was just a little boy wanting new toys to play with. "Is she worth it?" Eriol asked in earnest.

Syaoran offered him a sly grin. "Hell yeah!"

* * *

Meiling was as gorgeous as he remembered Syaoran had decided, arriving at their meeting spot a smooth ten minutes late. He would tell her it was because he had been caught up in a very important meeting, but the truth was he had been stuck picking out a tie. In the end he'd opted to go without, preferring to leave his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar. A suit jacket and trousers completed the look, and he had spent well over an hour on his 'fresh out of bed' hair.

"I was beginning to worry you wouldn't come" Meiling smiled as he sat himself down opposite her in the small, secluded booth she had chosen. She eyed him lazily and Syaoran was glad he had spent so much time getting ready. She seemed to be appreciating the effort.

"And ditch a gorgeous woman like you? How could I?" he smiled back, flashing perfectly white teeth. She responded with a batting of her long lashes and Syaoran couldn't help but stare. Meiling was dressed in a tight, blood-red, wrap around dress that hugged her body perfectly. Her black hair hung loose around her shoulders, the tips just brushing against her ample cleavage.

"Tell me about your work" Syaoran asked, only just managing to keep the desire out of his voice. A waitress came and took their drink orders before she began.

Meiling sighed almost out of boredom. "There isn't much to say. I designed my first office for my dad when I was around fourteen. At sixteen I was scouted by a local interior design group who offered me an apprenticeship and by twenty I had decided I could do it on my own. So I did" she stated matter-of-factly.

"Still" Syaoran said, picking up his glass slowly whilst never taking his eyes off her. "It's very impressive"

Meiling shrugged. "I guess you could look at it that way. I just see it as the natural progression in our line of work" She too sipped her drink, regarding his face for anything she could get from him. "So, tell me all about Li Marketing" she said, crossing her legs in a way guaranteed to draw attention to how long they were.

Syaoran paused. Syaoran panicked. Syaoran took a deep breath and lied. Lied and lied and lied. He must have talked to her about his imaginary company for well over an hour. It was addictive, creating his fantasy life. How he'd founded the company after his sister had seen his doodles and wanted them for her work. How he had fought hard against legal complaints, lack of office space and being the new kid in town. How he'd grown the company in such a short space of time, no one could possibly compete.

Meiling regarded him with a sultry gaze. "Fascinating" she began. "How hard it has been for you. How far you've come. And yet…" she trailed off, sipping her drink. "…I've never heard of you or your company"

Syaoran swallowed slowly. If he was feeling panicked and exposed, he didn't show it. Instead he offered her one of his most disarming smiles. "You haven't? I'm quite disappointed. Li Marketing is everywhere these days" he replied with ease. "Perhaps you simply missed it. Still, the company is bound to continue to grow. You'll see it eventually"

"Perhaps we can go back to your place and you can show me all the documents you have" she offered back. "Surely there's paperwork? I'm fascinated to see it"

Syaoran grinned. "Eager to get to my place are we?" he countered.

This visibly knocked Meiling, although she recovered quickly. "Not tonight. But perhaps you can give me a call and we can arrange it?"

As he watched her stand, Syaoran mentally kicked himself for not being quick enough. He kicked himself for how deep his lies were getting. He kicked himself for having spent far too much of the night talking about his fake company and not enough time working to get into Meiling's pants. He kicked himself for that most of all.

Still, ever the gentleman he stood and walked with her to the door, where her private driver was already waiting outside. They exchanged the usual goodbyes, kissed like they were alone and all too soon she was gone. Syaoran ran a hand through his hair as he fought to regain himself. The kiss had certainly left him wanting way more, but to get there he would have to produce evidence of Li Marketing. Evidence he didn't have.

Eriol would surely help him out. Right?

* * *

"HELL NO!"

"Oh come ooooooon Eriol. I'm desperate!"

"Damn right you're desperate. You'd have to be to go this far" he replied. It had been a whopping three days since Syaoran had gone on his date, a whole week since the conference and nothing but trouble the entire time. Syaoran had impressed the lovely Meiling with his talk of marketing, breaking into the big leagues and his extensive client list. Only, she hadn't been as easy to fool as other girls and now she wanted proof.

"She was asking about why she'd never heard of Li Marketing. I told her it was a surprise because we're everywhere, but I don't think that will hold. She wants evidence of the company's details. I just need you to make some fake documents that I can show her so she continues to believe me" Syaoran implored.

Eriol groaned as he crossed his office back and forth. Lying to the girl had been one thing, but forging documents? That was insane. "I just can't Syaoran. It's not right. You should just come clean to her now whilst you're not in that deep. If she likes you enough she'll overlook the lie"

But Syaoran had already formed the idea and would stick to it. Eriol knew that from the look of sheer determination that was written on his face. "I will tell her the truth, eventually. It's just this one last time. So she'll go on date number three. You know she'll be hooked by date three" Syaoran grinned.

Eriol knew all too well what date three meant. The women Syaoran dated were all the same: drawn in by his looks, charmed by his ways and usually high maintenance. They stuck around like parasites after date three, moving in, becoming needy and ultimately driving Syaoran mad until he found the next one, dumped the old and the whole cycle began again. Still, Eriol could feel himself giving in even before he said it. "It will need to be basic" he sighed.

"YES!" Syaoran smiled, jumping out of the chair he had perched himself on. "Just small things. An ownership statement, a business report. I can do the financial statement myself. It'll be great!"

Eriol nodded and began jotting down some notes. The sooner he got it done, the sooner Syaoran would be off his back.

"And I'm going to get an ad printed in the paper" Syaoran grinned. "Just a small one!" he added, having seen the sceptical look Eriol shot him. "You won't even notice it. But I'll point it out to Meiling and she will be super impressed!"

Eriol didn't even offer a response. "I'll have the papers to you by Friday" he muttered, tapping away at his computer. "And Syaoran?" he added "This is it"

* * *

"Li Marketing?" a raven-haired beauty read aloud as she rode the bus to work. "Highly-qualified. Worked with over 10,000 clients. Professional above all else. Sounds perfect" she grinned. "I wonder what Sakura will think"

* * *

xX I'm pretty sure you can all see where this is going xD Anyways let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions for the name, plots or things you wanna see then feel free to shoot them my way!


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone! I'm back!

I wanted to post this chapter whilst it was fresh in my mind and I felt happy with it. I am hoping to finish off my other stories soon but for now please please bear ith me. I am getting busier and busier each day with life in general, but i do pop in from time to time. So watch this space!

 _And as per usual if you're not reading this on FanFic you're reading my stolen story. Please report the site. It really helps us out! Thanks x_

* * *

Chapter 2 – Liar for Hire

"Li Marketing?" Sakura repeated as she regarded the advert Tomoyo had placed in front of her. "I don't think I've ever heard of them"

Tomoyo grinned as she sat on the corner of Sakura's rather expensive mahogany desk. "I had that same thought. But then, we've never looked into advertisement before so maybe we are just ignorant. And it seems pretty legit"

Sakura rubbed her temples slowly; trying to supress the headache she already knew was brewing. Several late nights could do that to a girl. It had seemed to get harder recently, given their slowly declining profits and lack of new clientele. Kinomoto Designs had been her dream since she stitched her first skirt when she was twelve. Since then she had worked tirelessly, building her skills in designing and creating a range of bespoke dresses. With her best friend Tomoyo's creativity and a team of well qualified employees, she had opened her first store at age eighteen, and by twenty had needed to move to the city for bigger office space. Now, at twenty-three, she owned Kinomoto Designs, a ten store strong army of bespoke dress shops. It had come at a cost – she had had little to no personal life, but she loved her job and the work they did.

"I know we said we weren't keen on using an outsider to get our name out there, but I think it's worth a try" Tomoyo said, watching her friend re-read the advert for about the tenth time. "I could set up a meeting with this Li guy? Hear him out?"

She had to admit, the advert made this Li guy sound like an advertising legend. And though she had always seen her staff as family, she had often wondered if they needed an outsiders perspective to boost the business. With a heavy sigh, Sakura nodded slowly and looked up at her. "I agree. Let's meet this Li guy"

Tomoyo clapped her hands together. "Now that that's settled, let's talk about you" she grinned.

"Me?" Sakura repeated.

"More specifically, your love life" Tomoyo replied, ignoring Sakura's eye roll. "When was the last time you actually went out on a date?"

Sakura chewed her lip, hating the conversation. It wasn't like she was a prude, she'd dated. But work had always come first.

"I thought so" Tomoyo laughed. "We should go out! Clubbing or something!"

"No thanks. If I wanted to get hot and uncomfortable I'd go to the gym" Sakura replied.

Tomoyo sighed. "Come ooooon. You can't sit here forever" she whined.

Sakura laughed and gave her a playful smile. "Watch me"

* * *

"So what exactly is your plan?" Eriol sighed as he watched Syaoran debate between two ties that, in his opinion, looked exactly the same.

Syaoran smirked at him through the mirror. "I show her the files, the advert, the pamphlets and she falls for it, drops the subject…and her panties" he winked.

Eriol rolled his eyes. "And if she doesn't? If she wants to see your work?"

"Taken care of" Syaoran smirked, pointing him to a file on his bed. Eriol picked it up and scanned the contents. Inside were highly professional looking banners, business cards and stickers for some company called 'Nova Education'.

"Who exactly is Nova Education?" Eriol asked sceptically.

Syaoran laughed. "Completely made up. But you wouldn't know it looking at all that stuff right?"

"So now on top of your fake business, you've made a fake client?" Eriol groaned.

"Look, this will all be over soon. I just need this date to go well and she will be so into me she won't care I lied" Syaoran said, patting Eriol's shoulder.

"I do hope you're right" Eriol replied.

* * *

Though he wasn't a huge fan of fine dining, Syaoran had to admit that The Gateway was beautiful. Meiling had insisted on booking a table, claiming it was the classiest place she knew. Tall vases sat in every corner, filled with brightly coloured flowers, some of which he'd never seen before. Every table was laid with a classic white tablecloth, silverware and delicate white plates. Their host seated them at a rounded table towards the centre of the room before handing them silky black menus. Syaoran ordered a bottle of white wine for the table, and after they had each been served a glass they were left alone.

"You look stunning" Syaoran said, regarding Meiling slowly. She wore a slim, knee-length black skirt that hung to her butt like skin, and had paired it with a white blouse that she hadn't fully buttoned, giving him a hint of her cleavage.

"I know" she smirked. "Not so bad yourself"

"Why thank you" Syaoran smiled back. "Feel free to stare"

Meiling lowered her eyes slightly, before turning to gaze at the menu in front of her. "I hear the salmon is excellent. But then again, I'm more of a coq girl myself"

Syaoran coughed, thankful that he hadn't yet taken a sip of his wine. "P..pardon?"

"Coq au vin?" Meiling replied, looking up at him innocently. "It's quite delicious"

Syaoran nodded, regaining his composure. "Two coqs it is. Now Meiling, tell me more about you"

"Me? No no. Last time we spoke you promised to show me your work" she replied, slowly crossing one leg over the other, and brushing Syaoran's thigh as she did so.

He would have probably have said or done something inappropriate, had their waiter not returned at that exact moment to take their orders. Once he had left, Syaoran pulled out the file he had brought from his briefcase and handed it to Meiling. "Just an example of my work" he said, watching as she flicked through.

"Nova Education?" Meiling mused. "I'm not sure that I've heard of them"

"Well of course not, you're not in the education industry" Syaoran smiled. "They run a variety of summer schools in smaller towns. Needed my help getting their names out to some schools so they could create partnerships. I like to think that my work with them really helped the kids"

"I…see" Meiling said, glancing over the folder at him briefly before returning to the fake documents. "And Nova Education is just one of how many companies you've worked for?"

"Over 1,000" Syaoran replied, lifting his head in mock pride.

Meiling's eyes flashed with something Syaoran didn't like. "1,000? That's odd. The newspaper ad I saw claimed you'd worked with over 10,000 companies"

Syaoran felt himself go slightly cold. "10,000? T..there must have been a printing error. 10,000 would be highly suspect in today's economy" he replied smoothly.

"It happens. In any case, Li Marketing seems to be a very impressive achievement" she replied.

Syaoran felt himself relax. "It's not the only thing that is impressive about me" he grinned.

"Oh?" Meiling replied, her voice dropping and her eyes darkening.

Before Syaoran could reply, a young woman with oddly bright eyes approached their table.

"I am so sorry to disturb" she began, her voice soft and kind. She had long, straight, black hair that hung around her waist and wore a simple yet classy blue skater dress.

"Can we help you?" Meiling replied irritably. Syaoran didn't like her tone, but ignored her, turning to the woman instead.

"I didn't mean to pry, but did you say something about Li Marketing?" the woman asked, her eyes never leaving Syaoran's.

"Yes, we did. What of it?" Meiling snapped, before softening under Syaoran's stern glance. "This is Syaoran Li. He owns Li Marketing"

"Mr Li! What a huge coincidence" the young woman smiled. "I was planning on calling you this evening for an appointment"

Syaoran offered her a confused look. "An appointment?" he asked.

"Yes" she replied. "The design company I work for could really use your skills. I wanted to set up a meeting between you and my boss"

Syaoran looked between the woman and Meiling, still not entirely sure what was happening. She seemed to be suggesting that she wanted to hire him for his marketing skills. But that couldn't be possible, since only Eriol and Meiling had seen the fake documents. Right?

"I'm sorry I'm a little confused" he replied. "You want to hire me?"

The woman nodded enthusiastically. "I work at Kinomoto Designs. When I saw your advert in the paper I just knew we had to give you a try. I mean, you've worked with over 10,000 companies!"

Meiling sniggered. "A printing error there dear. He's only worked with 1,000 companies"

The woman glanced at her as though she had only just noticed Meiling sitting at the table, before turning back to Syaoran. "Regardless, I'd love to set up a consultation meeting. Are you free this Friday? Say 10am?"

Syaoran's head spun. Advert? Did she mean the tiny thing he was sure no one would actually see? And was she actually seriously asking him for a consultation?

"Syaoran? This woman is seeking your business. Surely you aren't too busy for her?" Meiling mocked.

"O…of course not. Friday would be perfect" he replied, not even sure what he was saying.

The young woman clapped her hands together and grinned. "Perfect! Kinomoto Designs at 10am. See you then!" And with a flourish she was gone, leaving Syaoran's head spinning so fast he was sure he would be sick.

* * *

"Just…talk me through this one more time" Eriol grumbled, leaning back in his office chair.

Syaoran paced before him, his hair ruffled, shirt untucked and a look of pure panic in his eyes. "We were at dinner and this young woman overheard us talking about Li Marketing. She came over and starting getting all excited about some design company she works for. Meiling was being a bitch to her but she just didn't care. She asked me to come for a consultation and I said yes" he said, shaking his head.

"She overheard you talking about your fake company and just asked you to come meet her boss?" Eriol asked.

"No no. She saw the advert. In the paper. The stupid, stupid advert" Syaoran replied.

Eriol shook his head. "And you couldn't just say no?"

"I had no choice! Meiling was there. I couldn't just turn down a perfectly good business opportunity in front of her! It would have looked suspicious. And I am so close with her!" he shouted, throwing his hands in the air.

"Seriously? You're still after her? Even after you got us into this mess?" Eriol groaned.

"I'm telling you man, I'm so close with her. And she is smoking hot" he replied, stopping before Eriol's desk.

Eriol stood angrily. "And then what? You get her, you fuck her and then?"

"Then I move on to the next one" Syaoran shrugged.

"This playboy lifestyle of yours is going to send me to an early grave" Eriol muttered, gathering up some files on his desk. "Look" he sighed. "Just call this woman and cancel your appointment. Tell her you're too busy to take on any more clients or something"

Syaoran looked at his best friend sheepishly. "I didn't get her number"

Eriol smacked his forehead and started to type on his keyboard. "Kinomoto Designs right?"

Syaoran nodded. "Some chick with black hair, but I don't think she's the boss. I just need the num…. Eriol?" Syaoran looked at him in confusion as he watched his best friend scanning the screen rapidly. His face changed from confusion to shock to something akin to mischief. He didn't like that look at all.

Eriol looked up slowly from his screen with a smirk on his face. "Syaoran, you are going to that meeting. And we need to get you a new suit"

* * *

Let me know what you thought x


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